Battle waging on for Arsenal starlet Zelalem ... as Obama is dragged in

There is no doubting which Arsenal youngster is causing the biggest stir with the club’s fans at the moment - Gedion Zelalem.

The 17-year-old midfielder caught the eye in pre-season and those in the know have already dubbed him the best thing to come from the academy since Cesc Fabregas.

The teenager who reportedly ‘dribbles like Iniesta and passes like Xavi’ is all set to become a pro at the club - with reports in January suggesting that had already been agreed. Judging by the fact he is training with the first-team nearly every day - it seems he is certainly one for the future already.

But while Arsenal seem to be OK in terms of a club battle for his signature - on the international scene it is a different story.

Just like Adnan Januzaj of Manchester United, Zelalem has a plethora of choices to make concerning his international football career.

Born in Berlin, Germany to Ethiopian parents he lived in the USA from 2006 until he made the move to Arsenal in 2013.

So he has three options for his international career - Ethiopia, Germany or USA.

He has already featured for Germany’s under-15, under-16 and under-17 outfits - but has so far refused to confirm his intention to play international football for Die Mannschaft.

Mathew Nash

I’m Mathew Nash a 27 year old graduate in Sports Studies and I have an insatiable love for sport. With a particularly keen interest for the madcap world of football I have always been known amongst friends as a beacon for bizarre sporting trivia and knowledge. My other passion is for writing and hopefully combining the two will create a superb and entertaining marriage that will create, divide and share opinion.Mathew is a correspondent for the NextGen Series, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga.